On the Streets in Protest: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Leads Trinamool Rally

A major political storm has now hit Bengal’s politics. On Friday, i.e. January 9, 2026, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee walked in the protest march. The incident took place in South Kolkata. He participated in the protest against the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The rally was attended by several senior ministers, MPs, MLAs, and thousands of Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers and supporters led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The rally started from Jadavpur 8B bus stand and ended at Hazra More in South Kolkata. The procession started at 2:00 pm and ended at 5:00 pm. This protest march in South Kolkata was a full display of the power of the ruling party. The rally was led by Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Senior party leaders and ministers accompanied the Chief Minister. Many senior leaders of the state government were present on the occasion. Politicians are paying special attention to this program. Well-known faces of the Bengali film and television industry – MP actor Dev and Soham Chakraborty – joined the procession and added a different dimension to the programme. were also present:

• Sayani Ghosh, Jadavpur MP and actress.
• Firhad Hakim, Mayor of Kolkata and senior minister of the state.
• Arup Biswas, Minister of State.
• Jayaprakash Majumdar, Trinamool Congress leader.
• Mala Roy is the sitting MP from Kolkata South.

Thousands of party workers and supporters participated in the rally. There were slogans, placards and anti-Centre protests all over the road. On the same day, protests were also held in Delhi. Several Trinamool MPs were detained while protesting in front of the Home Minister’s office. The list of detainees includes:

• Derek O’Brien,
• The Seventh Judgment,
• Mahua Moitra,
• Kirti Azad,
• Saket Gokhale.

The Rajpath of Kolkata on the one hand, the power center of Delhi on the other – today it is clear that the Trinamool Congress is in the field of fighting together. There is only one message – the struggle against the Centre is now at all levels.

What is the reason behind this sudden spurt?

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the office of I-PAC and the house of the agency’s director Prateek Jain. Allegation – Investigation of money laundering related to the coal smuggling case. The raid took place on Thursday, January 8, 2026. Simultaneous raids were conducted at multiple locations in West Bengal and Delhi, including two important locations in Kolkata.

Main places of interest:

• First, I-PAC’s office is located on the 11th floor of a multi-storey building in Salt Lake Sector 5.
• Secondly, I-PAC Director Pratik Jain’s residence in Loudon Street, Kolkata.

ED sources indicate the probe began from a 2020 CBI investigation. This investigation unearthed a major coal smuggling racket in West Bengal. The ED has reported that a hawala operator associated with the racket transferred a substantial amount of money. This money went to a company registered with I-PAC. Further allegations – a part of this money was used for the Trinamool Congress in the 2022: Goa Assembly elections. Naturally, this ED raid has triggered a fierce political debate. Tensions are running high between the government and the opposition. The question is – is this just an investigation or a tactic to create political pressure?

At the moment, the entire country is watching. What is the next step taken by ED? What is the direction of this controversy? That is the biggest question now. This time, the chief minister is at the centre of the controversy. On Thursday, January 8, 2026, the ED was raiding I-PAC officer Prateek Jain’s house. Suddenly, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrived there.

According to ED sources, during the raid at Prateek Jain’s residence in Loudon Street, the Chief Minister entered the premises. He forcibly took away important documents. This occurred in the presence of the investigators. According to the complaint, a green file, several documents, a mobile phone and a laptop were removed at that time. On the other hand, the Chief Minister’s counter claim was that all these documents and hard disks were Trinamool Congress’s secret party papers. They were a probable candidate list. The Chief Minister alleged that the ED was trying to grab them for political purposes. According to reports, the Chief Minister reached Pratik Jain’s house at around 12 noon and stayed there for 7 to 25 minutes. He then went straight to the I-PAC office in Salt Lake Sector 5. He left at 4: 20 a.m.

Questions surrounding the incident:

• Is the Chief Minister’s intervention in the middle of the investigation constitutional?
• Or an unprecedented resistance to political intrigue?

ED vs State Govt – This conflict is no longer just an investigation, it has become a direct political and constitutional conflict. The entire country is watching.

But what is this I-PAC? What is this work?

I-PAC i.e. Indian Political Action Committee is a very influential name in Indian politics today. It is not an ordinary company. It is a powerful political consultancy firm. This firm decides the fate of political parties through election strategy, campaign management, and data analytics. In 2013, political strategist Prashant Kishor launched an initiative called: “Citizens for Accountable Governance,” or CAG . It was later known as I-PAC.

In simple meaning- I-PAC means a perfect combination of planning, statistics and field politics. There is no denying the influence of this organisation in modern Indian elections.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a state-wide bandh in South Kolkata. The speech aggressively attacked the Centre. It sent a strong message to the BJP. There was also a clear warning to the Election Commission. The chief minister claimed that the ED tried to steal TMC’s secret political strategy and candidate list. They also tried to take the hard disk and important documents in the name of searches. This was done to take political advantage before the 2026 assembly elections. Targeting the central probe agencies, she said: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee criticized the central probe agencies. She gave a strong message to the BJP concerning the 2026 assembly elections. He said the election will not cause the downfall of the Trinamool Congress, but the political loss of the BJP.

On the political attacks against him, he said such attacks make him stronger. Pointing to the central probe agencies and the BJP leadership, the Chief Minister claimed that he had some information in his pen drive. He was silent for so long because of his position. If he reveals them, it will create a stir across the country. He accused opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari of being involved in the coal scam.

On the issue of interference in the ED raids, the Chief Minister explained why she took the step as the Trinamool Congress chairperson. She wanted to protect the party’s internal documents. She also aimed to safeguard its strategy. He added that he would intensify the political movement at the national level if the attacks continued in the state. After the elections, he would go to different parts of the country.

Mamata Banerjee said that the Trinamool Congress will also protest against the role of the Election Commission. He also criticised the role of BSF and CISF and their tendency to identify Bengali speakers as Bangladeshis. The Chief Minister did not spare the Election Commission. The complaint:

“The BJP is trying to “steal” the people’s mandate with the help of the Election Commission. He also alleged that there were attempts to delete the names of genuine voters. These deletions were being done in the name of revision of electoral rolls. He even called the Chief Election Commissioner ‘Vanishing Kumar’. Finally, the message of war: “If you hit me politically, I will come back stronger.” I’ve made a political comeback.’ The TMC’s next protest will be at the Election Commission’s office in Delhi.

Clearly, this is not just a battle for Bengal, but a direct political battle between the Centre and the state. The entire country is watching.